


Hush Now

by DefaltManifesto



Series: Yours, Mine [1]
Category: Marvel, X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Fluff, Grieving, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 06:09:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1733939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefaltManifesto/pseuds/DefaltManifesto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex's world was turned upside down, first by Charles, then the war, then the death of Sean Cassidy. Ink just wants to help make it right again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hush Now

**Author's Note:**

> Should be writing my paper but I wrote this instead. Whoops. I hope you like it.

[The tumblr](http://schizzar.tumblr.com)

 

Alex knew war before he went to Vietnam. At least the hell that had been the fight off the coast of Cuba had prepared him for something. What he didn't realize was how lonely it was going to be, even when he was surrounded by men, because none of those men were like him. Until Ink arrived.

Ink didn't give his name when he first arrived as an attachment to Alex's platoon. His uniform said E. Gitter, but Alex quickly learned to just call him Ink. The man gave the world's worst stink eye whenever someone tried another name. Alex figured the tattoo surrounding his eye helped with the intimidation factor, even if he was a scrawny guy.

Alex didn't realize Ink was a mutant until he got shot in the chest, through his lung, and collapsed on the field. There was so much chaos that no one noticed when Ink dragged him aside and pressed his left hand to Alex's chest. The bullet emerged from his chest and his flesh stitched itself closed. Alex watched, caught somewhere between fear and fascination, as the Caduceus symbol tattooed on Ink's hand glowed and then faded.

"You're a mutant?" The words had been choked but Ink heard him just fine.

Ink pressed a finger to Alex's lips and smirked. "Hush now."

 

-.-

 

The person Alex missed most of all was Sean. The Professor was good and all that, had helped Alex quite a bit, but Sean was the one to comfort him the nights the guilt about what he'd done to Darwin became too much. Now, Sean was long gone. News of his death reached him in an unsigned letter one day while they were moving bases.

Alex hadn't been able to keep up his cool facade. Anyone else and he figured, sure, he could make it through the day without shedding a tear. The moment he read the letter though, he felt like the ground had given out beneath his feet and his stomach had dropped down through his toes.

Ink appeared at his shoulder, glancing over the letter before plucking it out of his hand.

"Your brother die or something?"

"Shut the hell up." Alex's fists clenched and he could feel the warm angry glow starting in his chest and spreading down his arms.

Ink gripped his wrist hard as he shoved the note back into Alex's hand, his grip so hard Alex thought he heard his bones creak. "Well you're damn useless if you expose yourself as a mutant, aren't you?" The words were hushed.

Alex ripped away from him, jamming the letter in his pocket and readjusting the gun on his back. Ink trailed behind him all the way to their next base and once they were set up, he took a seat on the hard ground next to Alex's cot. Alex didn't move, too fearful that if he did, the mental anguish that was tearing him up on the inside would unleash on everyone around them. He hadn't felt so out of control in years.

"Who was he?" Ink asked as he traced patterns in the dirt with his finger.

"My brother." More of a brother than anyone else had ever been anyways.

Ink glanced around the tent and then reached out, hooking his pinky through Alex's from where his hand dangled off the edge of his cot. Alex slid his eyes shut and let himself cry.

 

-.-

 

It occurred to him, as he watched Raven attack the men who had been about to remove them from the base, that the letter came to him from Raven herself. After stopping her from killing one of their attackers, he realized that was an odd time for that realization to hit him. As she urged him onto the plane along with his three fellow mutants, he almost asked her if his suspicion was correct.

But then the gate was closing and Raven was gone and he was still no closer to knowing how his best friend and only real family had died.

 

-.-

 

Back in the states, Alex had no idea where to go. He'd been living with the Professor before he got drafted, but he didn't want to go anywhere near that place without Sean. Ink had an apartment still, so it just made sense to go live with him. Spike and Toad vanished to their own lives, though Spike had left his address in one of the side pockets of Alex's bag.

"So that blue girl, you knew her?" Ink asked as he unlocked his door and flicked on the light.

"Yeah..." Alex glanced around the room.

It was a studio apartment, a full sized bed tucked in one corner and a rickety table with two scratched up chairs in the other. It had an oven and refrigerator though, so Alex was cool with it over all.

"Can I see those blasts you fired off some time?" Ink asked. He threw his bag on the floor and flopped down next to it. "Man, I missed this crappy carpet."

Alex snorted. "No, you can't see my power, and dude, I missed everything about any place that wasn't that hell hole."

"You've seen my powers. Why can't you show me yours?" Ink turned his head to look up at Alex.

"Because I don't wanna fry your apartment," Alex said.

Ink popped up onto his feet. "So let's go somewhere. Get some beers. Find a field."

"You're insane."

"No, we're going. Change your clothes," Ink said, already pulling his own off.

Alex rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom, realizing once he got there that he didn't actually have any civilian clothes. He turned back around, stopping when he saw Ink's bare chest. Sure, he'd seen it tons of times overseas, but it was different now. Ink let his uniform fall to the ground as he met Alex's eyes, and then he kicked off his already unlaced boots. Alex swallowed thickly and then set his bag down by the bathroom door. Ink smirked and undid his belt.

"Need something?"

"Uh, yeah, I don't got any clothes..." Alex said.

"Take some of mine. You might stretch 'em but that's alright," Ink said with a nonchalant rolling of his shoulders. The tattoos on his chest and arms seemed to dance with the motion.

Alex ducked his head and pulled out some of Ink's clothes from the drawer before fleeing once more to the bathroom. He had always known he was gay, had fooled around enough with Sean to know that. But it was _Ink_. He couldn't ruin the bit of normalcy he'd finally gained.

When he emerged from the bathroom, whatever tension that had existed between them had evaporated. Ink wore a baggy yellow shirt, blue jeans, and his ever-present smirk.

"You ever hotwire a car?"

 

-.-

 

They ended up walking, thanks to Alex's insistence that they not break the law their first night back. It was a long trek, but nothing compared to what they were both used to. Out of sight of the city, with only miles of flat asphalt in front of them, Ink reached out and linked his pinky through Alex's. Alex faltered, surprised at the touch, but when he looked at Ink, the kid refused to look away from the horizon before them.

Eventually, they waded into the high grass, and then the forest beyond that. When they came out on the other side, they were faced with another field with no sign of civilization in sight. For a long moment, Alex didn't move, only breathed in the air and the scent of woods and plants and everything that wasn't Vietnam. Tears, unbidden, tried to flood his eyes, and he pulled away from Ink.

Ink didn't let him go far though, reaching out and snagging his wrist. Alex turned towards him, frowning at the serious expression on Ink's youthful face. The tattoo of a phoenix over his eye seemed to glow in the setting sun, and Alex couldn't take his eyes off of it even as Ink leaned in and pressed their lips together.

The tears flowed all at once then, making their way down his cheeks as Ink's delicate fingers cupped his jaw and brushed them away. They kissed until Alex's arms looped around Ink's waist, until the tears stopped running and Alex's heart stopped trying to beat its way out of his chest. They kissed until their lips were wet and swollen and until the frown on Alex's face was replaced with a tentative smile.

"So...how bout them powers then, huh, laser boy?" Ink asked, voice raspy.

"It's..." Alex looked down. "It's Havok actually. My friends...they used to call me Havok."

"Blue girl?" Ink asked, easing away from Alex to lean against a tree.

"And Hank," Alex said. "And Darwin and Angel and even-" He cut the words off and looked back up at Ink. "It doesn't matter. They're not important anymore."

"Just because they're in the past doesn't mean they aren't important."

"Do you wanna see it or not?"

"Have at it then, Havoc."

Alex turned towards the empty field and shook out his arms before shooting one forward. The red energy raced down his arm with a crackle and then zapped across the field, singing everything in its path.

"Can I feel?" Ink asked.

"What?"

"Fire another one off," Ink said, stepping closer.

Alex obeyed, eyes widening as Ink grabbed his arm immediately after, tracing the path of the energy with his fingers.

"It's warm," Ink said.

"Yeah..."

"Do it again."

Alex fired shot after shot, for once not scared at how close Ink was to the danger that his body posed. Somehow, Ink's curious fingers turned into lustful ones, and soon they were tangled up in each other again, their kisses hotter, warmer than anything Alex had ever felt burning through his body.

When they headed home, Alex had left his own mark among the tattoos.

 

-.-

 

That night, Alex woke screaming as he watched Darwin turn to dust in front of his eyes. Ink straddled his waist and cupped his jaw and pressed their foreheads together. All at once, the images were gone from his head and he was left staring into Ink's eyes, gasping.

"What did you do?" he whispered into the dark.

"Hush now," Ink said. He pressed their lips together and Alex slipped back into sleep.

 

-.-

 

"You're a telepath too, aren't you?" Alex asked the following morning over breakfast.

"No," Ink said. "My tattoos give me my power."

Alex frowned and then tilted his bowl of cereal up so he could drink the last bit of milk. "But last night you...you eased my mind. You made me go to sleep."

Ink pointed to the two lightning bolts on his temples. "That comes from these. I healed you with this." He pointed to the Caduceus symbol on the back of his left hand. "And I poisoned those guys in the tent with this one." He held up his right hand and the biohazard symbol on his right palm spun before going still. "So...I'm not actually a telepath."

"Well...don't go into my head again," Alex said.

"I was just trying to help," Ink said.

"Yeah just...don't. Please."

Ink stared at him for a long moment and then got to his feet, collecting both of their dishes. "If you keep it locked up it's going to kill you."

"Says the guy who won't even tell me his first name."

Ink dropped the dishes in the sink and turned to look at him, anger flitting across his expression. "It's Eric, okay?"

Alex flinched, the name stirring something deep in his chest.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't ever tell you," Ink said. "It sits on the surface of your thoughts, you know? Your hatred for this Erik guy. I picked up on it the moment I saw you so I figured...better not make it worse."

"You kept your name hidden because you wanted to what...protect me?" Alex asked.

"You're fragile, Alex. I know you don't want to hear that but you are," Ink said. "And I don't want to be around when you explode. In fact, I wanna make it so you don't ever explode."

"You want to fix me."

"I guess, yeah."

"Everyone always wants to fix me."

Ink moved quick then, hands slamming down on the table as he stared into Alex's eyes. "I want to fix you, Alex, because I care about you and you can be so much more. You're actually a mutant and-"

"What?"

Ink rocked backwards as quickly as he'd moved forwards. "I..."

"It's not a one way street, Ink. If I talk to you, you talk to me too," Alex said.

Ink's hardened expression died and he practically crumpled into his seat. "I'm not a mutant. I never have been. I never will be."

"But your powers-"

"Stolen," Ink said. He looked down at his lap, fingers twisting together. "The man who gave the tattoos to me...he infused me with the powers that way. I'll still have my powers as long as he lives and puts in the effort but one day I'm...just gonna be a human again." He shook his head. "You can be so much more than me if you let yourself be."

"I'm not better than you Ink. I don't give a shit how you got your powers or if you're a 'true' mutant," Alex said. "You saved me and for some reason, apparently you wanna help me. Okay. I'll accept it. But I'm helping you too, you got that?"

Ink looked back up, face flushed from his anxiety. "Yeah, got it."

"Now can we kiss and make up already?" Alex asked.

 

-.-

 

Their nights in the field became a regular thing. Ink insisted on it, saying it was the only real way Alex ever seemed to let off any steam. Alex had to admit he was right. After hours of shooting off energy blasts, he always felt lighter, and it was easier to lose himself in Ink's soft skin and kisses.

One night though, as Alex let out a stream of blasts, Darwin's face flickered through his mind, lit up by the red energy burning him from the inside out. He fell to his knees, a broken sob tearing out of his chest. Ink curled around him, held him as he shook and clawed at his own arms in some twisted attempt to rid himself of the energy that was so intent on hurting everything around him.

"Alex, stop, please Alex..."

Ink's voice was a mantra in his ear until finally, he stopped. They lay there, among the tall grasses and trees, until the stars came out and Alex's eyes dried. Ink helped him home, healed his scratched up arms, and tucked him into bed. Alex fell asleep clinging to Ink's shoulders.

           

-.-

 

"Who's Charles?"

Alex looked up from his math textbook. It'd been four months since they'd come back from Vietnam and he'd finally enrolled in the local community college. Ink had too, though it was something artsy that wouldn't make money, Alex was sure.

"Were you in my head again?" Alex asked. He tossed his highlighter at Ink's head.

Ink knocked it away. "No, you were mumbling it in your sleep."

"He's..." Alex sat up on the bed and tossed his textbook aside before lifting Ink off the ground and hauling him onto the bed as well.

Ink didn't seem surprised by the action. Often, when Alex did manage to pluck up the courage to tell Ink more about what had happened to him, he would tug Ink close and cling tight to him. As it was, he ended up sitting with his back braced against the wall, Ink snug between his legs with their fingers twined together where they rested on Ink's chest.

"He was the one that got me out of prison. He trained me, Sean, Hank, and Raven...and that uh...Erik guy I hate so much," Alex said. "I could've gone back to him but I...he was pretty broken by the time I left. I don't know if I'd be very useful."

"You don't want to try?"

"I've got my own shit to sort through." Alex tilted Ink's chin so that he could place a kiss on his lips. "And I've got you. Charles did a lot of damage to us. I'm not ready to go back, especially when I've gotta take care of myself still."

"Mmm, at least you're self aware now," Ink said, not a single teasing note in his voice. He kissed Alex a few times, quick, short kisses. "Do you regret your time with him?"

"No. If I hadn't gone with him I never would've met..." Alex bowed his head, burying his face in Ink's neck.

"Sean," Ink finished. "You really loved him."

"Yeah."

Ink reached back to card a hand through Alex's hair, the action soothing and pleasant. They didn't speak anymore of the topic, and eventually, Alex turned back to his homework.

 

-.-

 

It took six months for Alex to actually get around to fucking Ink. They'd messed around a lot, sure, but Ink had always been on top at Alex's insistence. Ink seemed to know it was because of how Alex used to fuck Sean, but he didn't seem bothered by it, only adapting to Alex's needs just as he always did.

The first time Alex buried himself in the other, he wanted to cry. Ink felt so good around him, so warm and loving, and his long limbs were like a safety net, drawing him in and allowing him to lose himself in the other's body. He didn't last long at all, and he cried like a little kid after. Ink had just kissed his tears away and trailed his fingers over every inch of Alex he could touch. Once he'd gotten himself together, Alex got Ink off too, an apology on his lips as Ink came into his fist.

"Don't apologize," Ink whispered into his jaw. "I love you, Alex. All of you."

 

-.-

 

Alex passed all his classes just fine, though Ink did even better with his.

"Guess you're not just a meathead, huh?" Ink asked, punching him in the shoulder.

"Guess not," Alex looped an arm over Ink's shoulders. "Let's get wasted and do something stupid."

"The field?"

Alex looked down at him. "Yeah, sure."

 

-.-

 

They drank all the way on their walk to the field. By the time they reached their usual spot, Alex was feeling warm and loose-limbed. He definitely intended to start firing off shots like he normally did, but as he finished off his last bottle of beer, he turned towards Ink instead.

Ink was still laughing at some lame ass joke Alex had said, but he stopped when he realized Alex was still staring at him.

"What's that look for?" Ink asked.

"Just...you're amazing, you know that?" Alex grinned. "You're amazing and I love you."

"Yeah?" Ink smiled back at him. "Love you too."

They laid down in the grass and twined their fingers together, staring up at the sky until the reds and oranges faded to deep purples and dark blues and the stars winked themselves into existence. Alex's thoughts flowed through his mind in a slow, steady haze, thoughts of Sean, and Hank, and Charles, and Darwin. He wondered, for a moment, if Darwin had managed to adapt and had put himself back together when they weren't looking.

But then he realized it didn't matter if he had. He wasn't part of the X-men. Not anymore. Erik, Charles, none of them were his business. He only had two people to worry about; himself, and Ink. And when he looked over at Ink, saw the smile on his face as he pointed at a constellation up in the sky, he knew he wouldn't have it any other way. They'd fought together, put themselves back together with one another's help. He didn't need anyone else.

"What are you thinking about?" Alex asked after a few moments of silence spanned between them.

Ink pressed a finger to Alex's lips. "The crickets are singing. Hush now."

Alex kissed Ink's finger and closed his eyes, a smile on his face.


End file.
